Hey Wellness Fans!
Can you even believe it is almost our last week together? I will so miss you all! Hopefully I will have some of you in my next classes. That would be awesome!! Here is my final project for you to all read, if you are interested. I hope you all found this to be as much fun to do as I did. As far as final projects go, this project was the most fun to do and really the most insightful one I have ever done.
Have a great week all! See you one last time in discussion and back on these blogs next week! :)
Unit 9: Personal Application Project
Jennifer A. Debelak
Kaplan University
I: Introduction
Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically? What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?
It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically so that they can best meet the needs of their patients. Without developing all aspects of the mind-body-spirit personally, health care professionals cannot truly understand their patients’ needs or begin to know what aspect of the patient’s wellness is out of balance and needs attention. To reach our full potential of human flourishing, we need to experience the signs and symptoms of health such as a sense of inner control, competence, self-confidence, creating and sustaining healthy relationships, and having a sense of meaning and purpose in life (Dacher, 2006). Thus, in order for health and wellness professionals to effectively council and guide their patients towards integral health, happiness, and wholeness they too must develop a strong connection to their own mind, body, and spiritual aspects of wellness.
I need to continual to develop all aspects of my wellness to achieve the goals I have set for myself. Physically, I need to be more mindful of what I choose to eat during times of uncertainty and stress. Generally, I make healthy choices on a regular basis, as I strived to eat whole grains, lots of vegetables and fruits, and a variety of nuts and legumes. I also jog daily however; I need to improve my strength and flexibility. I need to improve my spiritual health to make a stronger connection between my body and mind. I do meditate often and pray a lot however; I have learned the importance of cultivating loving-kindness instead of focusing on the negative thoughts that surge my mind often. I would also like to explore and unearth my subtle mind.
II: Assessment
How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?
According to Dacher (2006), we must be holistic in our assessment even though at any one time we may choose to act in only one area of life. Keeping Dacher’s advice in mind, when I need to assess my health I try to first sit in silence and reflect on each of the four areas, or quadrants, of integral health. Next, I try to picture what area(s) might need my attention. Using Dacher’s Integral Practice Program guidelines, I ask myself what area needs my attention the most and then examine the components of that area. Then, once I have determined what specific line of development is most essential to give my fullest attention to improve my health, I try to come up with some specific practices that will enable me to meet my needs/goals. Finally, I close my quiet and still moment of reflection with appropriate affirmations and a prayer.
I score myself a 7 on my physical wellness because I do get cardiovascular exercise every day by doing a mix of power walking and running for about 45 minutes however, I could really improve my strength and flexibility through yoga or some moderate weight training. I give myself a 6 on my spiritual wellness because I do go to church every Sunday and this does help me to quiet the ubiquitous chatter that goes on in my mind and feel more connected the Higher Power. Still, I do not take enough time every day to cultivate silence or stillness in my mind and am confident that I will improve on my score of a 6 with the help of this class! I give myself a 6 on my psychological wellness because I do believe my life is wonderfully blessed with loving people and that I am worthy of the best life has to offer. Still, I often keep some emotions inside for fear of upsetting certain people in my life and this is not healthy and something I need to work on.
III: Goal Development
List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, physical, psychological, and spiritual.
Some of my goals to improve on each of my scores listed include:
Registering for a yoga class this fall to help me improve my strength and flexibility and physical wellness. The class starts on September 27th and meets three times a week. I am very excited!
Scheduling a time for reflection each morning after my run to help me improve my spiritual wellness (going to start with ten minutes of just meditating or listening to one of the great CD's we have been given in the Stress class and in this class). Specifically, I will set aside 10 minutes every day this week to appreciate the silence or for some relaxation techniques and will re-evaluate this amount of time to see how it is going at the end of one week.
Practicing more self control in my responses to my environment and the people I interact with everyday to help me improve my psychological wellness. I have learned I can create the kind of day I wish to have instead of just spending the whole day reacting to whatever potential disaster might be lurking in the shadows for me. I used to journal at night and have forgotten to do it for awhile so I am going to get it out again and write down the affirmations that apply to my growth and anything else that I might have forgotten to get off my chest during the day. So, specifically I will journal at the end of my day before I drift off to sleep, taking care to write down at least three affirmations and/or thoughts.
Setting aside more time to cultivate my subtle mind. Thanks to the material we have covered in class, I am more than ever before aware of just how powerful the mind is at generating wellness. I want to be good at reducing or eliminating any activities or mental chatter that does not serve me well and replace them with activities and thoughts that bring me happiness. Specifically, I will find the value in sitting in silence and/or solitude every day for at least ten minutes to reflect on how my activities and thoughts affect my mind at the beginning of the day, before I even get out of bed, and at any time that seems appropriate during the day when I am in need of reflection.
IV: Practices for Personal Health
What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; physical, psychological, and spiritual. Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain. Explain how you will implement each example.
Dacher has taught me that in order to reach the human flourishing we all deserve and have the ability to self-cultivate; nourishing our spirits with mind-full, contemplative practice is an essential component to integral health (Dacher, 2006). I have also learned in Kaplan's Stress Management class that between each stimulus and response, there is space and within this space we have the capacity to choose our response. This goes hand in hand with the concept of spiritual wellness where we are guided towards developing our witnessing mind. We can run miles a day to be physically fit and have good communication skills in our relationships but this does not necessarily mean we are achieving our best possible life. Thus strategies are needed to help us foster our growth towards integral health. To foster my physical wellness, I will continue to be mindful of making healthy nutritional choices by eating whole grains, legumes, fresh and organic vegetables and fruits, and fish or nuts; keep a scheduled time to jog every day and to attend my yoga class; and continue with my preventative measures towards good health such as taking my vitamins and supplements.
To foster my psychological growth towards wellness, I will practice cultivating my subtle mind with the assistance of Dacher’s CD and book, as this exercise helped me to observe my anxiety and provided me with a sense of calm. The subtle Mind exercise helped me to see the natural rising and falling of thoughts that seem to endlessly pour into my mind. Instead of focusing on these thoughts (like deadlines, tasks, and a whole list of 'shoulda's') I noticed them and then let them go and this will help me grow psychologically. Practicing visualization exercises will also help me grow to grow psychologically. After my morning jog, I can set aside ten minutes to do some visualization exercises I have on CD.
To foster my growth spiritually, I will make practicing the Loving-Kindness exercise suggested by Dacher (2006) a part of my daily routine. I can use this as a walking meditation technique and by setting aside specific time at the beginning and end of my day to practice cultivating love for people I know and for others. Additionally, I can take walks on the trails near my home where I can attempt to connect to the stillness of nature. I have many trails available to me to help me feel the harmony or peace I may be in dire need of at times. Also, I think the conversations I have with other people in my daily life will provide me with ample opportunities to improve my psycho-spiritual well-being. I can be a better listener by really focusing on the person I am interacting with, take the time to show them love and kindness, and practice patience; all of which will help to foster my spiritual wellness (Dacher, 2006).
V: Commitment
How will you assess your progress of lack of progress in the next six months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?
Intention, practice, and perseverance will allow us to realize integral health in this lifetime (Dacher, 2006). What meaning those words have to me now as I finish this course! To assess my progress or lack of progress in the next six months, I will continue to write in my wellness journal that I bought when this class first started back in July. I felt the need then to write down everything I was feeling and learning about the spiritual aspect of my wellness and have loved the time I have set aside to write in it. I have even inspired my children to have wellness journals of their own to help them discover what areas they might need to focus on and jot down ideas on how they can meet any goals they choose to set for themselves. Writing in our journals has become a regular practice in my family and helps us to track the progress we are or are not making towards integral health.
In order to maintain my long-term practices for health and wellness I intend to seek like-minded individuals in my home town and at Kaplan to help support my wellness goals and to whom I can be helpful in returning the support as well. I do not have a wellness clinic near my home however; there are several complementary and alternative practitioners in my area that may share my interest in the integral approach to wellness and interacting with them, both personally and professionally, will help to strengthen my own practices. Also, I believe becoming a good health role model for my children will help me to stay motivated and to persevere in my long-term integral practices towards wellness, as I would not want to leave them stranded or lost for guidance after I have brought them this far already. I find that children are the perfect people to help you learn the very things in life that are essential to your growth, and mine are no exception. I have also chosen to copy The Integral Vow from Dacher’s book to help me remember my goals and to help remind me of my direct path to my own flourishing (Dacher, 2006). I just know this vow is one that is of the most important vows I will ever make. After all, what could be better than integral health, authentic happiness, and genuine wholeness?
References
Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, California: Basic Health Publications, Inc.
I gave myself a 7 on my physical wellness because I do get cardiovascular exercise every day by doing a mix of power walking and running for about 45 minutes however, I could really improve my strength and flexibility through yoga or some moderate weight training. I gave myself a 6 on my spiritual wellness because I do go to church every Sunday and this does help me to quiet the ubiquitous chatter that goes on in my mind and feel more connected to a Higher Power than myself. Still, I do not take enough time every day for silence or stillness and am confident that I will improve on my score of a 6 with the help of this class! I gave myself a 6 on my psychological wellness because I do believe my life is wonderfully blessed with loving people and that I am worthy of the best life has to offer me. Still, I often keep some emotions inside for fear of upsetting certain people in my life and this is not healthy and something I need to work on.
* Registering for a yoga class this fall (registration deadlines are today so I am going this afternoon to sign up!) to help me improve my strength and flexibility and physical wellness. Specifically, I will register for a yoga class today!
* Practicing more self control in my responses to my environment and the people I interact with everyday to help me improve my psychological wellness. I have learned I can create the kind of day I wish to have instead of just spending the whole day reacting to whatever potential disaster might be lurking in the shadows for me. I used to journal at night and have forgotten to do it for awhile so I am going to get it out again and write down the affirmations that apply to my growth and anything else that I might have forgotten to get off my chest during the day. So, specifically I will journal at the end of my day before I drift off to sleep, taking care to write down at least three affirmations and/or thoughts.
4) In summary, I have grown spiritually since taking this course but still have a great deal of practicing to do before I can say that I have drastically improved my psychological well being. Although I now have the knowledge on how to improve my well being, I now have to cultivate my intentions towards staying on course and faithfully practicing the concepts I have come to value from Dacher's book. It was difficult to practice the exercises we had the privilege to experience with all of the other coursework we had to complete so now that those deadlines have been met, I look forward to having more time to re-read Dacher's book and to practice the exercises again (and again and again..... lol). Taking this course has helped me to see how to the integral path to wellness is at the heart of good health, happiness, and wholeness and this will make me an more well rounded wellness practitioner.
